Vegetable dyeing

In this year’s series of online journaling classes, I’m including with each session a workshop on natural dyeing which is a simple and easy method of making hand-dyed fabrics and fibers that we can…

Natural dyes are biodegradable, nontoxic, and zero waste, too! So before you compost your food scraps, use them to add some color to an old shirt, a new set of napkins, or even a wall hanging.

Endpaper of Vegetable Dyeing: 151 Color Recipes for Dyeing Yarns and Fabrics with Natural Materials by Alma Lesch. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications [1970] TP919 .L47

(and what NOT to use)In this blog you will learn how to properly mordant cellulose fabrics, and how to use ingredients from your kitchen to dye them.The most eco-concious way to use kitchen materials is by collecting them and drying or freezing them until you are ready to use them. Use produce nets for drying (or it will start creating mold and fruit flies) or Ziploc bags for freezer storage. More about good 'kitchen dyers' below.What will you need?Dyeing in the kitchen requires a few basic…

Citrus peels, carrot tops, and more are all you need to make natural dye for fabric. Here, Julia Sherman explains how to do it.

I have been quite inspired by the beautiful autumn colours lately. I have been going through my collection of naturally dyed yarns and I’m determined to use them in my next project which is a tradi…